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Walmart stores in Rhode Island recall apple juice due to elevated arsenic levels


Walmart stores in Rhode Island recall apple juice due to elevated arsenic levels

RHODE ISLAND – Walmart has recalled 9,500 cases of apple juice from its shelves in Rhode Island and elsewhere after testing found it exceeded the Food and Drug Administration’s recommended limit for naturally occurring arsenic.

Walmart’s Great Value 8-ounce 100 percent apple juice in 6-packs, packaged in 8-ounce PET plastic bottles, is being recalled. The affected products have a best-before date of December 28, 2024, and a UPC code of 0-78742-29655-5, according to the FDA notice.

The juice is being recalled because the “product contains inorganic arsenic that exceeds the limit established by industry guidelines.”

The juice is being recalled from 62 locations in Michigan and 26 other states, including AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV.

Symptoms of immediate arsenic poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. According to the Cleveland Clinic, long-term exposure can cause skin changes such as darkening and lesions.

Inorganic arsenic is more toxic to humans than the naturally occurring form of the mineral arsenic, and the health effects of exposure are more severe, according to the FDA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified inorganic arsenic as a carcinogen, a substance that causes cancer.

The levels found in the recalled apple juice bottles are so low that the FDA does not believe they have such serious health consequences.

The FDA has not released any reports of possible illnesses related to the apple juice recall.

There are nine Walmart stores throughout Rhode Island. Find locations here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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